Hello, again
by jellykitty
Summary: Will, Tyler, Cayce and Charlotte were childhood friends, but time would test their love for each other. AU, OC Tyler is based off the character the Representative of Jingletown.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, hello. It's been a while! So here it is, the beginning of my VERY AU American Idiot the Musical fanfiction. Hope you enjoy it! Please review ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own these people. **

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"Wait! Guys, we want to come too!" Cayce shouted as they tried to catch up with her older brother and his best friend. The boys were too fast for her 12-year-old legs to keep up with, but at least she was further up the hill than her best friend, Charli.

"This isn't fair! I hate climbing." Charli whined from halfway down the hill. The boys were heading for a tunnel they had found a few days ago; they thought it seemed creepy and abandoned, though the tracks that ran through it were frequently used by freight trains.

"C'mon, Case! I told you not to come!" Tyler shouted to his sister. He was two years older than her and, though they had always been close, he was starting to get tired of having her tag along all the time. "It's too scary for _girls_." he continued to taunt. Cayce clenched her fists and charged up the hill after him.

"I'm coming with you and you can't stop me! Charli, hurry up!" She yelled, getting annoyed that Charli wasn't as interested as she was.

"I don't see why you want to go! Let's go back to my house, my mom made cookies." Charli suggested hopefully. She could see by the look on Cayce's face that she wasn't giving up.

"C'mon, man, we can slow up a little for them…" suggested Tyler's best friend, Will. He didn't really want them tagging along either, but, like Charli, climbing really wasn't his thing. Tyler sighed heavily and stopped walking. Cayce finally caught up and Charli finished running up the hill, red faced and out of breath, and caught up as well.

"Is the slow poke tired?" Tyler teased. Charli folded her arms over her chest and stuck her tongue out at him, the best retaliation she had against the boy who had always bested her and his sister in verbal matches. Charli was thankful to find that the rest of the journey was on flat ground and there were no more hills to climb. They finally reached the tunnel and she immediately wanted to go home. Charli grabbed Cayce's arm and stopped walking.

"Cayce, I don't want to go over there…" she whispered as the boys headed toward the opening which was overgrown with vines and trees. The inside of the tunnel was so dark, it seemed as though a thick black curtain was hanging right at the opening. The tracks looked used, but they were old and worn. Cayce sighed.

"We didn't just come all this way to turn around…C'mon, the guys are leaving us again!" she said, hurrying to catch up and pulling Charli along by her hand. Charli whined, but followed. The boys had reached the tracks and were taking turns balancing on the rails and pushing each other off, laughing. When the girls caught up, Tyler was pulling a flashlight out of the inside of his jacket.

"Who wants to go first?" he asked with a mischievous glint in his eye. The girls should have known better, Tyler was always getting them into trouble.

"Go where?" Charli asked, a clear note of fear in her voice. That was all it took. Next thing she knew, Tyler was slapping the flashlight in her hand and pushing her toward the tunnel opening. "No! Ty, I don't wanna go! Stop!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the inside of the tunnel.

"What's the matter, Charli? Scared?" he teased.

"No! It's gross in here and I don't want to go. If I get my new shoes dirty, my mom's going to kill me!" She lied. Tyler laughed.

"Scared-y cat, scared-y cat!" he taunted. Charli whined for him to shut up, but this only made Tyler laugh more. "Prove you're not scared, then. Look, we'll stay here and count to 50 and when we're done, you can turn around and come back." he offered. Charli looked at him, judging whether or not he was actually going to stay or run away and leave her there alone.

"Promise you won't go anywhere?" She asked. Tyler grinned and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Promise. Now go!" he said, giving her one last shove toward the opening. Charli hesitated at the entrance, clutching the flashlight in her hands. She glanced behind and saw the boys egging her on and Cayce glaring at Tyler.

"This isn't funny, Ty. Why don't you go?" she said. Tyler shook his head.

"She's got to prove she's not scared. Start walking, Charli. 1.…2.….3.…4.…." he began to count. Charli looked back down the tunnel and began walking in. Her footsteps reverberated off the walls and sticks and leaves cracked beneath her feet. It was dark and her flashlight only illuminated so far ahead. She glanced behind her again to see Tyler standing at the opening, Cayce behind him, looking a little nervous herself and Will leaning against the wall. "24.…25...26.…" Tyler continued. Will tapped his arm.

"Don't you think that's enough? She's barely moving and who knows when the next train is going to come through." He offered. Tyler shook his head.

"Nah, it's only 30 seconds more, she can do it." but just as he said this, an ominous sound blasted toward them through the darkness; a train whistle. Charli stopped in her tracks, scared frozen from the loud sound. When the whistle died away, she could hear the sounds of her friends calling her back, but was unable to move. The light from the train lit up the walls and was getting closer and closer by the second. Charli found herself and started backing away when she felt a tug on her arm, jolting her back to her senses. She turned and ran after Tyler, who still had a hold of her hand, sprinting for the entrance. The train was gaining and the two stumbled out of the tunnel, falling to the ground. The train zoomed past, whistle blaring. Will had hold of Cayce's arm, keeping her from running in after her brother and they both stood over their friends, who seemed too stunned to move. Tyler was the first to sit up, pulling Charli up by the hand she was still holding.

"Shit…Charli are you ok?" he asked. Charli stood up and nodded, gripping his hand. "Good…can you let go? You're crushing my fingers…" he said, gently prying her hand off his. Charli let go and immediately threw her arms around his neck.

"Thanks for saving me." she said, letting go of him. The two stood awkwardly looking at each other until Charli's face changed from fear and appreciation to anger and she slapped his arm. "Jerk! You could have got me killed!" She shoved past him and pulled Cayce along with her, heading home. As they walked away, Charli wrapped her arms around herself and glanced back at Tyler who was getting a pat on the back from Will for being a hero while he was striking a triumphant pose. Charli couldn't help but grin, only vaguely aware of Cayce voicing her disgust that she actually hugged her brother.

The two girls headed back to Charli's house where her mom greeted them with a cookie each. Not 15 minutes later, the boys walked in. Charli's house was a sort of hub for their afternoons. Cayce and Tyler lived with foster parents who weren't exactly up for any awards and though Will's mom was nice enough, his dad made them all very uncomfortable. The boys each grabbed a cookie and sat down at the kitchen table and the four of them fell right back into the playful banter they were best at.

"OK, you guys, look at me!" Charli's mom called over the noise. Charli looked up and saw her mom standing at the end of the table holding a camera and whined.

"Aw, Mom! Not now!" she said, calling the others' attention. Her mom kept the camera to her face.

"No, I want pictures of my daughter and her friends! One day you'll look back at these and thank me. Now smile!" she said. All four sighed and leaned in, smiling. Charli's mom snapped the picture, however just before she did, Tyler pulled a chunk of his cookie off and threw it at Cayce's head, causing her to do the same. Her mom pulled out the Polaroid and shook it. She sighed when the picture finally developed. "What fond memories…" she said, sarcastically. She handed the picture to Charli who looked at it and passed it around, laughing. In the shot, Tyler was laughing, Cayce was throwing her cookie, Charli was posing and Will was stealing the rest of Cayce's cookie while she wasn't looking.

"I kind of like it, Ms. Linda." Tyler laughed. "It suits us." Linda rolled her eyes at him, used to his used-car-salesmen-like personality. She took the photo back from him and stuck it on the refrigerator door. There the picture would stay, a reminder of the bond the four shared, even if it wouldn't last.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I don't own anything, not even the OC is mine. Please review :)

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Cayce and Tyler pulled into the parking lot of their high school in the shit box little car their foster parents bought for Tyler's 18th birthday. It wasn't much, but at least they weren't walking to school anymore. Cayce climbed out of the passenger seat, slinging her black canvas messenger bag over her shoulder and smoothed out the pleats of her yellow and black plaid skirt

As she zipped up her black hoodie, she exclaimed, "Dammit, why is it always so fucking cold in the morning?" She complained to Tyler as he climbed out of the car. He had the warmth of a used, pale green, military style jacket to keep the cold out, even if he had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"I don't know, I'll ask God the next time I see him." He said, slamming his front door. He was about to light a cigarette when he caught a glimpse of someone walking through the parking lot from underneath the black hat he frequently wore. "Oh, hello," he muttered. "I'll see you later, Case!" he yelled as he took off. Cayce rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, right." she muttered to herself. Just as she was about to head to class herself, a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Cayce Williams. How are you, beautiful?" Cayce didn't want to turn. She didn't want to acknowledge his presence. The slimy tone of Jimmy's voice made her sick. She pulled her hood up over her blonde hair and turned to him.

"Hey, Jimmy. I'm fine." This was a horrible way to start the day, but not unusual. Jimmy was the school drug dealer, mostly small time, pot and some pills he stole from his mom's medicine cabinet, and Cayce and Tyler liked to smoke occasionally. They had bought from Jimmy a few times and he had taken a liking to Cayce, or at least an obsession. He walked over to her, chains jingling against his baggy pants, and leaned his arm against the hood of the car.

"You know, I was wondering when we'd get a repeat of the other night…" he suggested, trailing the back of his finger down her arm. Cayce cringed and pulled her arm away.

"No thanks, that was a one time mistake." she answered firmly. Jimmy moved closer to her and she could smell the pot on him.

"Don't pretend like you didn't enjoy it, baby. I know I did." Just as he was about to lean in and kiss her neck, a hand came from nowhere and pulled him away.

"Hey, Jimmy. I think you're making her a little uncomfortable." Cayce looked up and smiled. The hand belonged to Will and he was pulling Jimmy away.

"Look, man, I don't get in your shit, don't get in mine! We were just having a discussion." he said, shaking Will's hand off his shoulder roughly.

"Fuck off, Jimmy! We weren't discussing anything." Cayce said. Jimmy laughed a little.

"Sure we were, baby. We were discussing another afternoon in your basement. I've got some new shit you're gonna love." he said, moving toward her again. Cayce took a step back and Will grabbed his shoulder again.

"That's enough! Get the fuck out of here, Jimmy!" he said, shoving him away. Jimmy, or St. Jimmy as he was known around the school, had a case of what some would call small-dog syndrome. He wasn't a short man, but rather tall and lanky. What he lacked in physical strength he made up for in his ability to ignore the rules and fight dirty. Will, however, stood a few inches taller than Jimmy and had a bit more muscle to his build. He didn't really want to fight Jimmy; he was about one wrong move away from being kicked out of school and a fight in the parking lot was just the kind of move that would get him expelled.

Jimmy laughed as his back hit the car parked beside Tyler's. "Wrong move, jackass." he said as he swung his fist at Will's face, catching him in the nose. Will stumbled back a few steps before tackling Jimmy to the ground around the waist. Cayce jumped back and attempted to pull Will off of him.

"Will, stop! You're going to get caught! Just leave it alone!" To her relief, he listened, and after one hard punch to Jimmy's jaw, he got up.

"You stay the fuck away from her, you got it?" He warned. Jimmy stood up, rubbing his jaw and glaring at the pair.

"It must really get to you that I got into her pants before you, doesn't it, Will? Don't worry, though. All you gotta do is dangle a joint in front of her and you're good to go." Jimmy laughed. Will glared daggers at Jimmy and started to advance on him, but Cayce grabbed his arm.

"Will, don't! Just let it go, he's not worth you getting kicked out of school!" She begged. Again, Will listened, which only made Jimmy laugh harder. The bell for first period could be heard from the school building and Cayce began pulling Will away. "Come on, you're bleeding." She said. Will glared at Jimmy - who was still leaning against the car, laughing as he gave Will the finger - and began following Cayce inside. The hallway was filled with bodies scuttling toward their respective classrooms before the late bell rang. One by one they disappeared behind wooden doors until the hall was empty and Cayce pulled Will inside the girl's bathroom.

"Um, what are we doing in here?" Will asked. Cayce grabbed a couple paper towels from the dispenser and got them damp.

"Hold still. You can't walk around school with a bloody nose." She said as she walked up to him and started dabbing the blood away.

Over the years, Tyler, Cayce and Will had grown apart. Will started smoking pot and, their freshman year, began dating a girl named Heather, who took over his life. She turned out to be a 3-year-long mistake and the two broke up after Heather got drunk at a party and slept with Tyler. Will began keeping to himself, skipping school more often than not, and spent most of his days watching TV and getting high; that kind of life style didn't leave much room for a social life. Though she had to admit to herself that being here with her old friend was strange, after everything that had happened, she missed him.

"Thanks. How have you been?" he asked. Cayce grinned; Will was never a smooth operator.

"I've been alright. I haven't seen you around much." she mentioned offhandedly. Will shrugged.

"I don't get out much. How's it looking, doc?" He asked with a grin. Cayce pulled the paper towel away and waited a couple seconds.

"Looks like the bleeding stopped. Does it hurt?" she asked, putting a little pressure on his nose. He winced slightly and batted her hand away.

"Only when you touch it!" he said with a slight laugh. Cayce smiled apologetically and pulled her hand away. Will smirked and reached in his pocket, pulling out a small joint. "Nothing a little herbal remedy can't fix." Cayce smirked and checked underneath the bathroom stalls for feet, deciding they were alone and joined Will as he lit up and took a drag. She hopped up on the counter and took the joint from him and took a hit herself, holding the smoke in for a minute and letting it out slowly.

"Not bad, Will." She said, grinning, handing the joint back to him. He took a drag and looked down at the ground, suddenly very interested in his shoes.

"So, you and Jimmy?" he asked, glancing sideways at her. Cayce grinned and reached for the joint, taking it, amused that he seemed a bit jealous.

"Ty and I get our shit from him sometimes. One night it went a little too far." She said with a shrug. Will didn't say anything, but glanced at her. "It was a mistake, Will." Cayce added to reassure him. Will nodded.

"Unfortunately for you, you give Jimmy an inch and he'll run the mile. You'll have to keep your guard up." He took the joint from her as she handed it back and took a hit, still staring at the ground. Neither said anything for a few moments, then Will saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Cayce was unzipping her hoodie, a little slower than natural, and slid it off her shoulders, revealing the spaghetti strap tank top underneath. She smirked, catching him staring at her and she rested her hands on the counter, leaning forward a little bit.

"What are you looking at, Will?" she asked. Will grinned and shook his head.

"You grew up." he said. Cayce grinned and nodded.

"That does tend to happen." Will glanced at her again, this time not bothering to look away when she noticed. Cayce grinned and reached for the joint. "Stop hogging the merch." she said. Will cleared his throat; the way she was sitting, he could practically see right down her shirt. He handed over the joint and pushed himself off the bathroom wall, standing in front of her with his hands in his pockets.

"I think you're doing that on purpose." he accused. Cayce put the joint to her lips and sat up straight.

"Doing what on purpose, Will?" she asked with false innocence, taking a long drag from the joint and blowing the smoke out toward him. He took a slow step toward her, smirking, hands digging deeper in his pockets, determined not touch his old friend's little sister.

"I think you're trying to flirt with me." he said. Cayce smiled up at him.

"I'm not _trying_ to flirt…I _am _flirting." she said, leaning forward on her arms again. Will raised an eyebrow, his intrigue playing on his face. He took the joint from her, smirking as he took a drag.

"So, I guess Jimmy was right…all it takes is a little pot." He said jokingly, laughing a little at the warning look Cayce gave him.

"No…What happened with Jimmy was a huge fuckin' mistake…_This_ has been on my mind for a while…" she said with a smirk playing across her lips. Just as Will was about to ask what had been on her mind, Cayce reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him toward her, kissing him softly.

Though a little shocked, Will had to admit to himself that he had been thinking about this for a while as well. Her lips were soft and moved perfectly with his, just the way he had hoped they would. Her breath tasted like the pot they had just shared, but he didn't care, in fact, it made him want to kiss her more. Will pulled her toward him by the backs of her legs as she wrapped her legs around him. They continued to kiss and touch until the bell rang, exploring a desire they had both felt burning for years.


End file.
